Office Optional: How to Build a Connected Culture with Virtual Teams

by Larry English

Virtual work isn't the model of the future--it's here now. But many companies struggle with setting their employees free from the office without sacrificing culture. Centric Consulting president Larry English is here to guide the way.Twenty years ago, Larry and his friends weren't happy in their consulting jobs. The long hours took a serious toll on their personal lives. So they built their own company where employees could work virtually and the culture would contribute to both the business's success and employee happiness. Since then, Centric Consulting has expanded to over 1,000 team members with operations in 12 US cities and India--and everyone works remotely some or most of the time. As Larry unpacks everything he's discovered about creating and sustaining a culture of collaborative teams, you'll  How and why you need to cultivate an atmosphere of trust in a virtual environmentHow to recruit and hire team members for remote workHow to build strong relationships with people you don't see every dayHow to scale your virtual company without sacrificing cultureHow the right software tools can help build cultureHow to be a great virtual team memberSprinkled with funny, insightful stories from Larry and other Centric employees, Office How to Build a Connected Culture with Virtual Teams is the ultimate guidebook to remote work and a successful virtual culture.

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction, Business, Management

198 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 20, 2020

About the author

Larry English is president and cofounder of Centric Consulting, a management consulting firm that guides you in the search for answers to complex digital, business, and technology problems. Before Centric Consulting, Larry worked for a large international consulting firm out of college until he got burned out at 25. He and his newlywed wife backpacked around the world as he tried to find his path in life—and he did. Shortly after returning home, he and his like-minded pals founded Centric with a focus on changing how consulting was done by building a remote company with a mission to create a culture of employee and client happiness. Today, Centric is a 1,000-plus person company with offices in 12 US cities and India. Larry is father to four boys and husband to an adventurous wife. They reside in Columbus, Ohio. Larry is donating a portion of the royalties he receives from Office Optional to charity. To learn more about him and how to become an office optional company, visit LarryEnglish.net.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book outlining how to mitigate challenges and the numerous benefits from developing Virtual Teams in today's business world. Especially with the current reactions to COVID-19, understanding how to be successful at maintaining a strong culture when not able to work in person with others. Larry English's book helps steer readers through the challenges his company learned and how they were able to thrive with a business model many considered impossible. Highly recommend for any organizations wanting to improve their company culture as they either progress globally, or virtually.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Larry English defines a next-generation company that thrives because it truly prioritizes people and culture. Some guidance may at first seem counter-intuitive in corporate America: implicitly trust your people to do the right thing; allow them to set a schedule that works for their lives; be wary when you see employees chronically working overtime; only hire people who are humble; promptly stop behaviors that lead to politics. The list goes on.

The magic of Larry English's guidance is that building a strong culture backbone allows companies to operate virtually, in most cases being more productive than in an office environment. Dozens of testimonials illustrate the passion of employees at Centric where these principles were honed.

The author presents concepts in straightforward, understandable language. It's a quick read, but also packed with wisdom.

This is really a book on business leadership. Larry English unveils a formula that creates unmatched experiences for both customers and employees. In doing so, companies are positioned for a long-term growth in a corporate environment that is pleasant and motivating to work in.

[Rashmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much a sales pitch for his own company, but contained some solid nuggets of advice.

[سليمان العوشن · Rating 4 out of 5]

يقدّم هذا الملخص صورة شاملة وواضحة عن الأفكار الجوهرية التي يناقشها كتاب «العمل من المكتب اختياري»، ويبرز عمق رؤية لاري إنجليش في فهم ثقافة العمل الافتراضي. يظهر من خلال العرض أن الكتاب لا يركز على الأدوات التقنية بقدر تركيزه على بناء ثقافة ثقة ومسؤولية وانتماء بين أفراد الفريق، وهي عناصر أساسية لنجاح أي نموذج عمل عن بُعد. كما يوضح الملخص أهمية وضوح القيم المؤسسية، وانتقاء الأشخاص المتوافقين ثقافيًا، ودور «سفراء الثقافة» في تعزيز الروابط داخل الفريق. ويُظهر كذلك أن العلاقات الإنسانية تبقى حجر الأساس حتى في البيئات الرقمية، وأن الإصغاء، والتغذية الراجعة، وإدارة التغيير هي ممارسات لا غنى عنها. يمنح الملخص انطباعًا قويًا بأن الكتاب يعد مرجعًا عمليًا لأي مؤسسة تسعى إلى بناء ثقافة افتراضية قوية ومستدامة في عالم يتجه سريعًا نحو نماذج العمل المرنة

تابعني على شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي

سليمان العوشن

http://about.me/aloshan

[Paiman Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Employers may worry that their remote workers will underperform, but, in reality, remote workers often work harder than office workers. You don’t need to micromanage employees who work from their homes. Instead, check on their progress regularly so you discover any problems early. Treat remote workers as responsible adults, giving them autonomy and flexibility, rather than overburdening them with rules about how to structure their time.
This policy will contribute to their happiness and, in turn, they will feel a greater sense of loyalty to your company, thus building the foundations of a positive culture.

[Amy Mcjoynt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this fast read, esp for a business book, about my current company and the deep insights into the culture created to maintain strong employee engagement and client commitment/delivery excellence. Larry incorporates some fun stories along the way. There is a workbook coming out too, I hear. For anyone looking to new Remote Working ideas on how to manage and maintain your culture, this is a good read especially in these COVID 19/pandemic days as we keep remote workers engaged and moving forward.

[Mike Ryba · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an employee of Centric, it was great to be able to relate to everything that Larry talks about, even learning a few new things. Any organization can learn to be a great remote organization if they follow these simple guidelines outlined in the book. Thanks, Larry.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked up a few valuable insights and some great examples. Helped me realize the company I work for already does an amazing job at cultivating and protecting culture. Can’t wait to incorporate the info I learned.

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think I'm just too late to the party on this one. Most of the suggestions are pretty commonplace or at least known. I have no idea what Centric is, but they are very confident about the organization...since EVERY SINGLE EXAMPLE is from the writer's personal company.

[Vikas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The key to culture is how you build relationships. It’s about the quality and types of conversations you have, not where you have them.

[Pierre Hulsebus · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is no such thing as virtual workplaces, it is just work. People have been working on globally dispersed teams for years.

[Seanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an advanced copy of this book, and I was excited to see how poignant it is right now. This book offers insights into how a virtual company was able to get off the ground 20 years ago and gives readers advice on how to do so right now. The Quick Read summaries at the end of each chapter were helpful, too, in case I wanted to go back to a particular tip as I read.

[Julian Schlaen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Por momentos es un folleto publicitario de la cultura interna de Centric. Un mix entre puntos interesantes de la cultura remota, cómo le dan foco a nivel estrategia de negocio y como se traduce en acciones puntuales. La otra parte del mix son decenas de anécdotas, algo cursi en varios casos.
No estuvo mal leerlo, pero no lo recomendaría.

[Deborah Spence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful